ICS will salute retiring good guy

When Interfaith Community Services installs its board at itsannual meeting on Wednesday, something will be noticeablydifferent. Len Jacobson won’t be on it.

After two terms as president and three before that as vicepresident, Jacobson is stepping down. Jerry Horton will try to fillthe Rancho Bernardo resident’s big shoes.

Jacobson’s ties to the agency go back to its early days. Heworked briefly in client services before moving to the fund-raisingside of the agency. He has provided expertise in marketing andstrategic planning, and innovated the very successful annual gala,which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to ICS over thepast four years.

The fifth annual gala is scheduled for Saturday at theCalifornia Center for the Arts, Escondido. The Kingston Trio arefeatured entertainers.

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“He’s a mensch (good guy) for all seasons,” said InterfaithExecutive Director Suzanne Pohlman of Jacobson. “He’s just a lovelygentleman. He’s always available to mentor, to listen or to helpthose in need. He’s an extraordinary guy in every sense of theword.”

The agency plans a few surprises for Jacobson at its meeting at2 p.m. Wednesday at the Rancho Bernardo Community PresbyterianChurch. Several past clients will share their stories at themeeting of how Interfaith has helped change their lives. Call (760)489-6380.

Dual royalty: A pair of queens will preside over the annualGrade Day festivities. Helen Heller and Ruth Thomas have beenselected by the sponsoring Escondido Historical Society as GrapeDay queens. Friends for more than 50 years, both have devoted manyhours of service to Escondido, most notably at the gift shop atPalomar Medical Center, which is named after Heller. Thomas at onetime served as city treasurer. Former Escondido Mayor Doug Bestwill serve as grand marshal of the Sept. 6 Grape Day parade. Bestis also well known for his weekly big-band music program “Doug BestSwings,” which has aired on local radio stations for more than 30years.

Pitching in: Members of all three Rotary clubs in Escondidospent Saturday morning painting the interior of one of theEscondido Community Child Development Center’s preschool buildings.About 25 Rotarians managed to get the job done by noon, paintingthe classrooms a pale yellow in the sweltering heat. Tania Bowmanof the Escondido East Rotary coordinated the effort. Donations fromHome Depot, Pizza Hut and Albertsons provided supplies andsustenance to the volunteers. … The child development center isalso the beneficiary of the PT Cruiser Turbo Tour, which celebratesthe fifth anniversary of the Chrysler vehicle. Board member RosaRuiz and former board member Shirley (Noyes) Lloyd-Driscoll judgedthe PT Cruiser contest at an event Saturday in San Diego. Thecenter will receive $1,000 as the nonprofit partner at the localtour stop.